Not entirely on brand with shipping, per se, I suppose. But I'm curious about this. See, I have a sorting system. (Yay, organization!) I have a bookshelf per year. 2012, 2013, and so on. Each shelf contains incomplete stories with their last chapter being from that year. I have a read later-shelf, a favorite-shelf, a hiatus-shelf, yadda yadda yadda - this isn't about those.
Originally, I created this system to keep track of advancing stories. Call it OCD or don't, but I just don't like the feeling of starting a journey, really getting into it, only to then get suddenly yanked out of it because, well, it simply stopped. There's nothing more to read. No further chapters. And then I find out the writer has been inactive for the last eight years or something. Just a crappy feeling. And I can't imagine I'm alone with this one?
Which lead to me having eleven bookshelves filled with varying amounts of incomplete stories.
As a side note, it's actually a little disheartening sometimes to see those numbers behind the shelves. 2012 - 28. 2013 and 2014 - 37. 2015 - 25. And from that point onward, it declines. 21, 12, 18, 11, 8, 6, 3. I dunno. Someone smarter might read something less depressing out of those.
Anyway.
What do you do when you stumble upon such stories? They seem to have promise. Their premise, from the short description, looks good. You actually know that writer's name. The artwork is intriguing. Whatever it is, something about it tries to lure you in. But it's incomplete. I can't be the only one hating that experience, right? So what do you do with those stories? Do you 'bite the bullet' and read them anyway? Do you sigh and pass them by and leave them behind?
For years I hoped the writers of those stories would return and finish their work. Or abandon it entirely. I've always been grateful, even when someone switches a story's status to 'aborted', since at that point, I at least know that nothing will come anymore and I can safely remove the story from my shelves. But with those others... I don't know... a stupid part of me clings to hope that somehow, miracles happen and some of these stories might see a proper send-off. After ten years. Which would be hilarious, were it not so sad and stupid.

shove 'em into a bookshelf of dead fics and check every year to see if any finished :V

If they have promise and seems to be years since an update? I give it a thumbs down to flag it for myself to not read and continue on my way. If it intrigues me again I will know to not even bother to try reading by that red hand. I won't even need to renotice that it is incomplete.

It takes effort (or lack thereof) to get a thumbs down for poor writing. A few continued to reach my favorites shelf.

If I notice it before it goes silent? It will be in my tracking folder for quite some time. This year I really should go through them again and give them the same treatment as those above. Maybe I'll procrastinate again...

I rarely get excited about an author's name as quality and genre can shift quite rapidly. Those I follow I do so in the hopes they put something out that might intrigue me again; it is a rare thing.

7767488
I finish it for them.

7767507
So basically similar to what I'm doing already. Does it annoy/sadden you?

7767508
I will admit I am very hesitant to use downvotes. In all my years on this site, I can probably still count on two hands how many times I downvoted something. And it usually happens as the result of me trying to give advice and said advice being met with ignorance or downright hostility. I don't claim to be the be-all-end-all writer. Heck, I don't even claim to be all that good. But if someone answers neutrally presented critique with 'I don't care' or 'go f*** yourself' or anything along those lines, that's when I downvote. And as I said, that happened very few times.
I can't imagine using the downvote as part of my sorting system. I mean... I suppose most pieces that are 'dead' for a couple of years have writers in very much the same state, so they probably won't notice or care much. But I know what seeing that red number does to my head, and I don't want to inflict that upon others. I don't even want to risk that. Just the thought of someone somehow reigniting their love for writing and the fandom, coming back online here to start over again and seeing their old, unfinished stories downvoted... makes me cringe internally. No can do.

7767514
And that works out for you? You're content with that?

I have a bookshelf that I call "Impressive Incompletes" that I keep old incomplete stories in. I have notifications enabled for it, so if someone updates, I'll know about it. So far, only one of the stories I put in there has ever had an update after being added to it.

7767518

And that works out for you? You're content with that?

Yes.

7767518
Mmm...

It all depends on how you see it. Some people see it as an attack; a thought process that might warrant a trip to a therapist. I use it for all kinds of things and want to consider those directed at me for different things; though I understand most are trying to attack as I have done something unforgivable.

If I were ever to post a story and were I to receive nothing but thumbs up I would think a number of thoughts. All of which be true. That people like my work. That no one is willing to challenge me; that I have reached perfect, that I won't get any better. That no one is willing to say I did something wrong. That I have found an echo chamber. Most of which makes me want to just turn the ratings off in disgust.

But I know what seeing that red number does to my head, and I don't want to inflict that upon others

How you respond to something is a choice. It only has power over you if you let it.

You have given me power. I don't like it. I don't want it. I don't want to be responsible for how you feel. It is okay to have thumbs down. It is okay to fail. It is okay to have people disagree. It is okay to be different. I was taught to think for myself and let no one control me and I am inclusive enough to let you be you.

So accept my thumbs down. For I disagree. Know that I hold no rancor against you...

any stories that i have found interesting but were never finished and left idel for longer then one year go in a bookshelf simply marked 'dead stories' they also go in there if they get the canceled tag stamped on them.

7767518
not really :B I stopped reading incompletes ages ago, and if they're not gonna get finished, it's no skin off my nose

I mean, there's a few I'm always dismayed to see died in like 2015, but that's the exception D:

7767518
Honestly, it baffles me that this comment got upvotes, since I don't know what they are for. Or a downvote. Just... what? Why?

7767521
Every few months, I sort through my bookshelves as well and update when necessary. It happens. It's quite a rare occurrence, but it happens. I'm not entirely sure how many, maybe one, maybe two, but very few stories even get finished looong after they started (and fell dead). I actually find those cases particularly curious. I mean, as a writer, you start this tale and then you write/upload a new chapter, like, every two years or something. How? Just... I don't know. I'd love to understand the thought process behind that. And the creative process even more.

7767527
I'm going to be honest - I don't think that would work for me. But hey, congrats that it seems to work for you. I think it's quite an unusual way of dealing with the issue.

7767532

If I were ever to post a story and were I to receive nothing but thumbs up I would think a number of thoughts. All of which be true. That people like my work. That no one is willing to challenge me; that I have reached perfect, that I won't get any better. That no one is willing to say I did something wrong. That I have found an echo chamber. Most of which makes me want to just turn the ratings off in disgust.

Funny thing. After I uploaded my first story, I got several upvotes and downvotes within, say, one hour. For a 200k+ text. That amount is something I'm reading in two to three days. Admittedly, I'm certainly not a fast reader, but one hour seems... strange. So these people most certainly chose to vote like that for reasons that have little to do with the writing itself. But I'm of the opinion that a voting should reflect the opinion of the reader in regards to the text? Which leads me to dismiss these 'early votes'.
I think I wouldn't mind downvotes as much if they were coupled with comments. You don't like it? Okay, that's fine. Really, it is. But I'd like to know why you didn't like it. What irked you. What could be improved.

How you respond to something is a choice. It only has power over you if you let it.

How you respond certainly is - how you feel about something, how your initial reaction to something turns out, that... is usually something you have less control over, though. You can train yourself, obviously. Condition yourself. But that's hard to do.

You have given me power. I don't like it. I don't want it. I don't want to be responsible for how you feel. It is okay to have thumbs down. It is okay to fail. It is okay to have people disagree. It is okay to be different. I was taught to think for myself and let no one control me and I am inclusive enough to let you be you.
So accept my thumbs down. For I disagree. Know that I hold no rancor against you...

The way we behave and interact with others, online or otherwise, will always have immediate feedback and will always cause some sort of reaction. You always have power, if you want it or not. The way you answer someone's 'good morning' can make or break their morning. The way you smile at someone, or don't, can influence their mood. I had a professor once who told us: You cannot not manipulate. Every gesture, every word, those spoken or left unspoken, everything is interaction. That doesn't make you responsible for how others feel, per se. But it contributes. And I don't think it's possible to escape that without complete isolation from any interaction.
It is okay to fail, disagree and be different. Obviously. I think it's about the way in which we choose to do these things that matters. A comment, for obvious reasons, says a lot more than a simple downvote. A downvote is nondescript. It simply says 'something isn't right here', with no indication as to what is the problem.
But I'm rambling, and this is getting off-track, I think.

7767669
Heh. I'll admit, I envy that. Mind if I take a slice of that calmness? I mean, I don't read them either. But every single time I go into these shelves to update stories, I hope, hope, hope that at least one has a new chapter, that at least one has been updated, that there is some change, some progress. So many (probably/potentially) good ideas, left unfinished. I somehow cannot bring myself to not care about it.

Or a downvote. Just... what? Why?

*chuckle*

I told you I would

I actually find those cases particularly curious. I mean, as a writer, you start this tale and then you write/upload a new chapter, like, every two years or something. How? Just... I don't know. I'd love to understand the thought process behind that. And the creative process even more.

This I can shed light on.

The creative process just... stops. A day might go by without thinking about the story. Life starts and a week goes. Then two. Before you know it a few months have gone by and I started a new project. I have about three solid stories started with a few more with alternate (but similar chapters that I could mix in match if I make sure the names are changed and adjust the humanoid or quadruped descriptors) starts and beats. I am not entirely sure what kind of story I want to tell but my cast has been rather consistent.

Part of the problem is hardware; my writing speed is so slow on touch screen I am not exaggerating to say this post took the better part of an hour to think up and then jot down. I once tried to do November Writing Month and I kept tapping out at 300-700 words a day (a fraction of the amount needed) with an old 'in the zone' of 1k-2k mark. I tried pen and paper and found my hands could not keep up with my brain so I force my brain to where my hands are at; take your favorite passage (some three paragraphs) and count the sentences. Slowly reread that passage for each sentence. I hate my work by the time it is done. Keyboard is faster than touch screen and paper but not by much.

My fastest is microphone. Google keyboard supports microphone and it is hilarious what it looks like when done. (Good thing I remember what I meant to say as it needs editing and punctuation; any punctuation) Problem is that there is rare a good place to do it. Microphone is signal heavy and I am amazed I have the signal to even post this; I often type out my responses on a separate off line word processor while in my usual dead zone home.

The thought process, for me is, a month later; "yeah, I should just knuckle down and do it but..."

My early works over a year old; "what the hell was I thinking? Just start over." Like an old game I play for nostalgia; just overewrite the save file (actually 99% of them are stuck between chapters two and four in separate foulders)

But I'm rambling, and this is getting off-track, I think.

This place is for shipping... when are we not?

7767675
I'm just too busy trying to read the finished ones to worry about what could have been :B I guess

7767675

I think it's quite an unusual way of dealing with the issue.

I agree. And I'll take that for the compliment that it is.

7767735
Honestly, your setup sounds soul-crushingly depressing to me. I couldn't deal with that long-term, so... respect for your saint-like patience.

7767749
Heh. Well, that I can understand. My 'read later'-shelf still offers 99 stories lined up in waiting, and the largest one has one million words, sooo... yeah. Lots to do.

7767752
You're... welcome? It was never meant as anything else than that.